CIA Document: Bin Laden Asked his Son Hamza to Move from Iran to Qatar

Hamza Bin Laden during his wedding in Iran. Photo from CIA documents
Hamza Bin Laden during his wedding in Iran. Photo from CIA documents
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CIA Document: Bin Laden Asked his Son Hamza to Move from Iran to Qatar

Hamza Bin Laden during his wedding in Iran. Photo from CIA documents
Hamza Bin Laden during his wedding in Iran. Photo from CIA documents

In one of the documents that the CIA released on Wednesday, slain al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden made it clear that the “Iranians are not to be trusted” despite evidence of strong ties between the terrorist group and Iran.

The document was released as part of 470,000 additional files found in May 2011 when US Navy SEALs burst into Bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, and shot him dead.

The slain al-Qaeda chief’s son Hamza was in Iran when in September 2010, Osama bin Laden wrote a letter to his three sons, including Hamza, as well as one of his wives and grandchildren. 

Bin Laden made it clear that the “Iranians are not to be trusted” and he wanted his wife to “leave everything behind,” just in case some sort of tracking device was implanted within her possessions. 

He worried about Hamza’s security and suggested that he travel to Qatar, where he could lay low and study.

After Hamza did not take his father’s advice, he made his way into Pakistan. But Bin Laden insisted that the terrorist group’s heir move to Qatar.

Bin Laden’s suspicions of Iran came despite one of the newly released documents showing al-Qaeda's links to Tehran.

The 19-page document recounts an offer by Iran to provide al-Qaeda with “money, arms” and “training in Hezbollah camps in Lebanon, in exchange for striking American interests in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf.”

The very fact that Hamza and other senior figures appear to be able to live under Iranian protection or custody supports claims that Tehran and Bin Laden had a working relationship, analysts have said.



Japan's Emperor Begins a Weeklong Visit to Mongolia that will Honor POWs

President of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China Jens Eskelund talks during a press conference for the latest report on European companies in China on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila, File)
President of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China Jens Eskelund talks during a press conference for the latest report on European companies in China on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila, File)
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Japan's Emperor Begins a Weeklong Visit to Mongolia that will Honor POWs

President of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China Jens Eskelund talks during a press conference for the latest report on European companies in China on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila, File)
President of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China Jens Eskelund talks during a press conference for the latest report on European companies in China on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila, File)

Japan’s Emperor Naruhito began a weeklong visit to Mongolia on Sunday during which he plans to honor thousands of Japanese prisoners of World War II who were held under harsh conditions in the country.

Naruhito's visit marks the 80th anniversary of the end of WWII. In recent years, he has toured some of the places where the bloodiest battles and bombings occurred, including Iwo Jima, Okinawa and Hiroshima. The emperor has said it's part of his effort at atonement and remembrance of the tragedy of war fought in the name of his grandfather, Emperor Hirohito, The AP news reported.

While the vast majority of Japanese soldiers were taken to Siberia, around 12,000 to 14,000 ended up in Mongolia, which was fighting alongside the Soviets against Japan.

Most of the POWs were put to hard labor and construction work for the Mongolian government’s headquarters, a state university and a theater that are still preserved in the capital Ulaanbaatar. The prisoners toiled under harsh conditions and scarce food. Japanese records show about 1,700 of them died in Mongolia.

“As we mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the war this year, we should never forget the pain and sorrow of the people,” Naruhito said last week. “I believe it is important to not forget those who died, deepen understanding of the wartime past and to nurture the peace-loving heart.”

Naruhito and Masako were scheduled to meet Mongolia's President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh and his wife. The couple will also attend the opening ceremony of Naadam, Mongolia’s annual festival that focuses on three traditional games of horseracing, wrestling and archery.

Naruhito had previously visited Mongolia as crown prince in 2007.